Health Talk

My name is Margie Gacki. Welcome to my blog! I am a former medical librarian with 22 years experience in the health care field. This blog will feature consumer health information on a variety of topics and include links to authoritative web sites to help you make informed health care choices. With so much information and misinformation on the Internet, my goal is to lead you to quality health information. Feel free to e-mail me at mghealthtalk@gmail.com if you have any questions.

Disclaimer:

All material on this website is provided for your information only and may not be construed as medical advice or instruction and should not take the place of health care or services you may need. No action or inaction should be taken based solely on the contents of this information; instead, readers should consult appropriate health professionals on any matter relating to their health and well-being.

Monday, April 22, 2013

It's been hard to keep this blog updated since I am no longer a medical librarian. Although I am working in a college library now, I've been doing more with my photography. I created a new blog where I can share my photos. If you want check it out, visit http://throughmylens-margie.blogspot.com.

Since there is a lot of good health information on this blog, I will keep it up so folks can access the links. Thanks for stopping by!

Monday, October 15, 2012

Since October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I wanted to post some useful information and links. It is very important that women over the age of 40 receive a yearly mammogram. Depending on family history, some women start even earlier than that. It is vital to have regular mammograms as well as regular breast self-examination. The earlier cancer is found the easier it is to treat. If caught early enough, chemotherapy is not needed. Common treatment for early cancer is radiation therapy as well as tamoxifen or other hormonal therapy.If you do not have insurance, many local health departments or community organizations offer free or low cost screening. Also, the Susan B. Komen Foundation can help. Komen Affiliates fund breast cancer education, screening and treatment projects for those who need it most. Find information at

Thursday, September 27, 2012

September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. I couldn't let the month go by without honoring my dear friend and colleague Michele, who lost her battle with ovarian cancer 2 years ago.

Michele Beaulieu

June 12, 1961 - June 9, 2010

An estimated 22,280 American women will be diagnosed with
ovarian cancer in 2012, according to the American Cancer Society, and about
15,500 will die of the disease.

Ovarian cancer is the most fatal of all cancers involving a
woman's reproductive tract. It is very
difficult to diagnose, with only 15% being diagnosed at an early stage when it
is more easily treated. Women diagnosed
in the early stages have an 89 to 94 percent chance of surviving at least five
years.

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Since Septemer is World Alzheimer's Month, I wanted to post some information and links to help you find reputable information on the Internet.The National Institute on Aging has a helpful list of symptoms of Alzheimer's Disease by stage:

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Women and men have many of the same health problems, but they can affect
women differently. For example, women may have different symptoms of heart
disease. Some diseases or conditions are more common in women, such as
osteoarthritis, obesity and depression. And some conditions, such as menopause
and pregnancy, are unique to women.

Women sometimes neglect their own health and focus instead on their
partner's and their children's. Take care of yourself first:

- Plan for pregnancies and see your healthcare
provider regularly while you are pregnant

- Have regular mammograms

- Get regular checkups and screenings. Early
detection is important for treating breast, cervical, uterine and ovarian
cancer.

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

I thought it would be a good idea to re-post something on fireworks safety that I did last year. Here is some great information:

Since the Fourth of July is almost here, I have some information on fireworks safety for you.Fireworks laws vary from state to state so if you are unsure of what is allowed in your state, check out this site:http://www.americanpyro.com/State%20Laws%20(main)/statelaws.html from the American Pyrotechnics Association.If your state does not allow fireworks, DO NOT go to another state to buy fireworks.That is illegal and could get you in big trouble.

The Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) released a report last year on fireworks safety.Here are some of the highlights to make you aware of the safety issues:

CPSC staff has reports of two fireworks-related deaths during 2009.

Fireworks were involved in an estimated 8,800 injuries treated in U.S. hospital emergency departments during calendar year 2009. CPSC staff estimated that there were 7,000 fireworks-related injuries during 2008.

An estimated 5,900 fireworks-related injuries (or 67 percent of the total fireworks-related injuries) were treated in U.S. hospital emergency departments during the one-month special study period between June 19, 2009 and July 19, 2009.

Of the fireworks-related injuries sustained, 73 percent were to males and 27 percent were to females.

Injuries to children were a major component of total fireworks-related injuries with children under 15 years old accounting for 39 percent of the estimated injuries. Children and young adults under 20 years old had 54 percent of the estimated injuries.

There were an estimated 1,200 injuries associated with firecrackers. Of these, 700 were associated with small firecrackers, 200 with illegal firecrackers, and 300 where the type of firecracker was not specified.

There were an estimated 1,000 injuries associated with sparklers and 300 with bottle rockets.

FIREWORKS SAFETY TIPS:

Here are some safety tips from the CPSC:

Never allow young children to play with or ignite fireworks.

Avoid buying fireworks that are packaged in brown paper because this is often a sign that the fireworks were made for professional displays and that they could pose a danger to consumers.

Always have an adult supervise fireworks activities. Parents don't realize that young children suffer injuries from sparklers. Sparklers burn at temperatures of about 2,000 degrees - hot enough to melt some metals.

Never place any part of your body directly over a fireworks device when lighting the fuse. Back up to a safe distance immediately after lighting fireworks.

Never try to re-light or pick up fireworks that have not ignited fully.

Never point or throw fireworks at another person.

Keep a bucket of water or a garden hose handy in case of fire or other mishap.

Light fireworks one at a time, then move back quickly.

Never carry fireworks in a pocket or shoot them off in metal or glass containers.

After fireworks complete their burning, douse the spent device with plenty of water from a bucket or hose before discarding it to prevent a trash fire.

Make sure fireworks are legal in your area before buying or using them.(Check out the link at the beginning of this post for this information)

Friday, June 1, 2012

Summer is here. It’s
the season to spend more time outdoors and with the outdoors, comes the
possibility of ticks. Ticks carry many
diseases so it’s important to avoid them as much as possible.

Here are some suggestions from the CDC for dealing with
ticks this summer:

Avoid Direct Contact with Ticks

-Avoid wooded and bushy areas with high grass and leaf
litter.

-Walk in the center of trails.

Repel Ticks with DEET or Permethrin

-Use repellents that contain 20% or more DEET (N,
N-diethyl-m-toluamide) on the exposed skin for protection that lasts up to
several hours. Always follow product instructions. Parents should apply this
product to their children, avoiding hands, eyes, and mouth.

-Use products that contain permethrin on clothing. Treat
clothing and gear, such as boots, pants, socks and tents. It remains protective
through several washings. Pre-treated clothing is available and remains
protective for up to 70 washings.

-Bathe or shower as soon as possible after coming indoors
(preferably within two hours) to wash off and more easily find ticks that are
crawling on you.

-Conduct a full-body tick check using a hand-held or
full-length mirror to view all parts of your body upon return from tick-infested
areas. Parents should check their children for ticks under the arms, in and
around the ears, inside the belly button, behind the knees, between the legs,
around the waist, and especially in their hair.

-Examine gear and pets. Ticks can ride into the home on
clothing and pets, then attach to a person later, so carefully examine pets,
coats, and day packs. Tumble clothes in a dryer on high heat for an hour to
kill remaining ticks.

If you find a tick on your body, here is the tick removal
recommendation from the CDC:

-Use fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the
skin's surface as possible.

-Pull upward with steady, even pressure. Don't twist or jerk
the tick; this can cause the mouth-parts to break off and remain in the skin.
If this happens, remove the mouth-parts with tweezers. If you are unable to
remove the mouth easily with clean tweezers, leave it alone and let the skin
heal.

-After removing the tick, thoroughly clean the bite area and
your hands with rubbing alcohol, an iodine scrub, or soap and water.

Don’t use any of the folk remedies that have gone around
over the years. The goal is to remove
the tick as quickly as possible and tweezers are the best way to do that. Here’s a link to the instructions from the CD
that has diagrams of the tweezers technique:
http://www.cdc.gov/ticks/removing_a_tick.html

Here is a diagram from the CDC of the stages and relative
sizes of ticks:

Here’s an excellent link from the CDC for the prevention of
tick bites: Stop Ticks(Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention)

Friday, May 25, 2012

Life has been hectic so it's been a long time since I posted anything. Things should be settling down soon but I did want to share some links. May is arthritis awareness month so I thought that would be a good topic to share. Here are some links to some great information on arthritis:

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

I saw in my local paper that the Click It or Ticket campaign is under way this week
so I thought I’d post some information about seat belt use. Thankfully, according to a National Highway
and Traffic Safety Administration 2010 survey, seat belt use has been
increasing steadily since 1994, accom­panied by a steady decline in percent of
unrestrained pas­senger vehicle occupant fatalities during daytime (see figure
2).

The 2010 survey also found the following:

Seat belt use for occupants traveling during weekdays increased
significantly from 83 percent in 2009 to 85 percent in 2010.

Seat belt use continued to be higher in the States in which vehicle
occupants can be pulled over solely for not using seat belts (“primary law
States”) as compared with the States with weaker enforcement laws (“secondary
law States”) or without seat belt laws. (see figure 1)

Seat belt use for occupants in rural areas increased
significantly from 81 percent in 2009 to 83 percent in 2010.

Seat belt use for occupants traveling on expressways increased
significantly from 89 percent in 2009 to 91 percent in 2010.

Figure 1.

States With Primary Enforcement Seat Belt Laws*

Alabama

Alaska

Arkansas

California

Connecticut

Delaware

District of Columbia

Florida

Georgia

Hawaii

Illinois

Indiana

Iowa

Kentucky

Louisiana

Maine

Maryland

Michigan

Minnesota

Mississippi

New Jersey

New Mexico

New York

North Carolina

Oklahoma

Oregon

South Carolina

Tennessee

Texas

Washington

Wisconsin

* States with laws in effect as of May 31, 2010. The
District of Columbia is included in the table.

Monday, April 30, 2012

I know it’s
a little early for this but since the weather has been so warm in most parts of
the county and it is getting closer to summer, I thought I’d share some links
on skin cancer and sun safety. It’s
never too early to start protecting yourself.

Treatment options vary widely
depending on the type of cancer and the stage of the cancer. It is important to ask your doctor proper
questions in order to make an informed decision about your treatment. The previous links provide authoritative
information on the various types of cancer.

With the overwhelming amount of sun
protection products, it’s important to understand what all those claims
mean. The FDA is in the process of
finalizing its long-awaited label changes to sunscreens. One of those changes would be that no
sunscreen would have higher than a 50 SPF.
All those claims of high SPF numbers and all the other claims can be
very confusing. To find out more
information on sun protection and sunscreens, visit http://www.medicinenet.com/sun_protection_and_sunscreens/article.htm

The CDC has some great information
on skin cancer and covering up when out in the hot summer sun. Although the campaign has officially ended,
they still have a lot of great information available online. Check out these sites:

Friday, April 6, 2012

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration requires food manufacturers to list ingredients on their products.They also require food allergy labels for the eight most common ingredients that trigger food allergies.The eight foods listed below account for an estimated 90 percent of allergic reactions.The eight foods are:

- Milk

- Eggs

- Peanuts

- Tree nuts (such as almonds, cashews, walnuts)

- Fish (such as bass, cod, flounder)

- Shellfish (such as crab, lobster, shrimp)

- Soy

- Wheat

All domestic or imported packaged foods are labeled with an allergy warning if the product contains one of the above allergens.

The label lists the type of allergen, such as soy or wheat.(see photo below)

It is very important to pay attention to these labels if you have food allergies.Food allergies can cause serious illness or death.

Here are the most common symptoms of food allergy:

- Tingling or itching in the mouth

- Hives, itching or eczema

- Swelling of the lips, face, tongue and throat, or other parts of the body

- Wheezing, nasal congestion or trouble breathing

- Abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea or vomiting

- Dizziness, lightheadedness or fainting

Treatment

The only way to avoid an allergic reaction is to avoid the foods that cause signs and symptoms. However, it is almost impossible to totally avoid all foods that cause allergies so if you have a reaction, you will need treatment.

For a minor allergic reaction, over-the-counter or prescribed antihistamines may help reduce symptoms.

For a severe allergic reaction, you may need an emergency injection of epinephrine and a trip to the emergency room.

For more detailed information of treatment and food allergies in general, check out these web sites:

Thursday, March 29, 2012

From time to time I like to repeat posts that I think are important in case you missed them the first time around. A while back I posted information on evaluating health web sites. I think it is important to repeat that from time to time to remind everyone of the importance of making sure the information is authoritative and up-to-date. Here is some helpful information on how to evaluate health web sites:

Since it is possible for virtually anyone to post information on a web page, it is important to evaluate the information you find. Here are some points to look at when evaluating health sites:

1. Who developed this site? Is an author clearly identified? Are the credentials of the author listed?

It is always best to seek information from a “known quantity”. Find out as much as you can about the author or organization posting the health information. This may be expressed in listed credentials about the person or a description of the organization providing the site.

2. Does the page show when it was last updated? Are the links to other resources still active?

Many people have placed information on the web as a one-time effort without ever providing updated information. A date on the page will help you to assess if the information is current. Check to see if the links are current. If they aren’t, this may mean that the page hasn’t been updated.

3. Is contact information provided so that you can e-mail, call, or write the author?

Direct connection to the organization or author provides a mechanism for you to ask questions about the origin of the information on the site, and the authority of the author.

4. What is the purpose of the information?

Assess the reason for the information provided. Is the language of the article persuasive, trying to lead you to purchase something or join a program or is the information provided for informational purposes only? If the page is designed for commercial purposes, there may be conflict of interest with the information provided. It is best to stick with non-commercial sites.

5. Can the information be verified in other sources?

If a web site is not well documented, it is especially important to verify the information you find in other sources. If any questions arise about information discovered in any source, those questions should be directed back to a health care provider.

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Spring is here. (Actually, it has been feeling like summer in many parts of the country.) With spring, comes more outdoor activities and it is important to keep safety in mind as you do those spring cleaning chores. I thought I'd repeat my post from last year with some great spring cleaning tips:

Keep safety in mind during the springtime cleaning spree. So says the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) in a recent press release. Many people take advantage of the weather to clean both the inside and outside of their home, but there are many hazards associated with this springtime ritual.

Statistics show that thousands of people injure themselves during their annual clean, whether it be using a step ladder, a lawn mower or moving furniture. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) urges people to take the proper safety precautions to reduce the number of spring cleaning-related accidents

STATISTICS:
According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission:
- In 2010, more than 35,500 people injured themselves using a stepladder;
- Over 41,000 Americans injured themselves while gardening or using gardening equipment;
- More than 127,000 were injured while operating a lawn mower.

AAOS SAFETY TIPS:-
- Proper techniques for lifting, carrying and bending should be part of any spring cleaning project to avoid back injuries:
- Separate your feet, shoulder-width apart and keep your back upright and bend at the knees while tightening the stomach muscles.
- Lift with your leg muscles as you stand up; don’t try to lift any object by yourself if it is too heavy or an awkward shape.

- When gardening, avoid prolonged repetitive motions during activities such as digging, planting, trimming and pruning and take frequent breaks.

- Use a sturdy step stool instead of a counter or furniture – such as a chair or the couch – when dusting high hard to reach areas.

- Ladders used for chores – such as washing windows, painting, cleaning gutters and trimming trees – should be placed on a firm, level surface. Never place a ladder on ground or flooring that is uneven, soft or wet.

- Use care with extension cords: be sure they are properly grounded. To avoid tripping or falling, do not drape extension cords across spans of crossing walkways.

- When working on a ladder, over-reaching or leaning too far to one side can make you lose your balance and fall. Your bellybutton should not go beyond the sides of the ladder. Never climb a ladder without a spotter.

- When mowing the lawn, be sure to wear proper footwear and eyewear for protection:

- Use a mower with a control that stops it from moving forward if the handle is released. Never pull backward or mow in reverse unless absolutely necessary – carefully look for others behind you when you do.

- Children should be at least 12-years-old before they operate any lawn mower, and at least 16- years-old for a ride-on mower.

- Read product labels for proper use and wear protective clothing and gloves when using chemicals for gardening or cleaning. Store all chemicals at the appropriate temperature, which is usually indicated on the package – in a place that is out of reach of both children and pets and never place chemicals into unmarked containers or containers labeled for a different substance.

- Take frequent breaks and replenish fluids to prevent dehydration and keep a cell phone within reach in case of accident or injury.

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Some Great Web Sites:

I want to spotlight some great web sites that will provide you with quality health-related information:

MedlinePlus: MedlinePlus is the National Institutes of Health's Web site for patients and their families and friends. Produced by the National Library of Medicine, it brings you information about diseases, conditions, and wellness issues in language you can understand. MedlinePlus offers reliable, up-to-date health information, anytime, anywhere, for free.

Yum-O: Launched in 2006 by Rachael Ray, Yum-o!® is a nonprofit organization that empowers kids and their families to develop healthy relationships with food and cooking by teaching families to cook, feeding hungry kids and funding cooking education and scholarships. Web site includes recipes, games, and much more.

NIHSeniorHealth: This easy-to-use website features basic health and wellness information for older adults from the National Institutes of Health

Blog Subject Index

Here is an alphabetical list of subjects that I've covered so far on this blog:

About Me

I'm a former medical librarian with 22 years in the health care field. After a couple years of keeping up with my Health Talk blog, I decided to create one for my photography. I hope you enjoy the images that I'll be sharing! If you have any questions or comments, send me an e-mail at:
mghealthtalk@gmail.com.

I have a separate web site for my photography business, Faith Productions of Cumberland. I offer photo gifts and services. If you want to check out more of my photos, visit www.faithproductionsofcumberland.com.